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Sri Lanka Cricket has reiterated its commitment to holding elections before the end of January next year, in the wake of the ICC’s warning that “further non-compliance” could result in more sanctions

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Jun-2015Sri Lanka Cricket has reiterated its commitment to holding elections before the end of January next year, in the wake of the ICC’s warning that “further non-compliance” could result in more sanctions.SLC interim committee chairman Sidath Wettimuny, who recently attended the ICC annual conference as an observer, maintained that while the ICC had publicly urged SLC to hold elections before the end of October, that date served only as a soft deadline. Sports minister Navin Dissanayake had already said SLC elections would be held in January.”Ideally the ICC would like us to have elections before October, but in a letter they’ve said that by the latest we must hold elections by the following meeting on January 26,” Wettimuny said. “If we go beyond that, then we’re getting into trouble. I don’t think we should do that. If we do, they can then ask for an inquiry and take the next step.”We must make sure we don’t let them down, because we have promised to do things in a certain way. We have an excellent relationship with ICC and we must continue that.”Wettimuny said SLC had also extended invitations to ICC president Zaheer Abbas, and chairman N Srinivasan, ostensibly in order to iron out kinks in the board’s relationship with ICC.SLC also expressed protest at their observer status in ICC meetings, arguing that the governing body’s constitution does not allow it to deny Full Members voting rights. However, in the interests of keeping the peace, SLC has so far been willing to accept its reduced role in global cricket governance.

Reduction in playing days from four to three and the removal of relegation and promotion on the cards

Madushka Balasuriya09-Jul-2020Sri Lanka Cricket is aiming to resume its halted 2019/2020 domestic season by the end of July, with the country’s sports ministry having already given the go-ahead, ESPNcricinfo understands.The 14-team Premier League Tier A Tournament was suspended in March following the Covid-19 outbreak, with just the group stages completed. Upon resumption the Premier Super Eight and Premier Plate rounds will be contested, though the exact restart date is subject to SLC holding a Special General Meeting (SGM), where member clubs will be asked to approve certain changes to tournament rules.As per the SLC constitution, members need to be given 14 days’ notice ahead of an SGM being held; as such the earliest the season can resume is in the final week of July. Among the rule changes to be discussed will be a reduction in playing days from four to three and the removal of relegation and promotion, according to SLC CEO Ashley De Silva.”Sometimes the four-day game might become three days,” De Silva told ESPNcricinfo. “We also don’t know if the clubs will want to go ahead with promotion and relegation, taking into consideration the disrupted nature of the tournament.”The Premier League Tier B tournament however will not be resuming as yet, with SLC likely to complete it in the months ahead.The Tier A tournament will be the first sporting event to take place in Sri Lanka following the easing of curfew measures, and with Sri Lanka’s international tours for the year all postponed, a host of top players are expected to take part.

World Series Cricket’s revered place in the history of the game and dressing room lore of its combatants is belatedly going to be backed up by official recognition of the players’ achievements in the Super Tests and One Day Cup matches

Daniel Brettig25-Nov-2015World Series Cricket’s revered place in the history of the game and dressing room lore of its combatants is belatedly going to be backed up by official recognition of the players’ achievements in the Super Tests and One Day Cup matches.To coincide with the day-night Test to be played in Adelaide from Friday, Cricket Australia’s board of directors have approved the inclusion of WSC statistics in the official playing records of Australian participants, including Ian and Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee, Rod Marsh and Len Pascoe. CA is also in discussions with other member boards to do likewise for the players signed from the West Indies, England, South Africa, Pakistan and New Zealand.In addition to its enormous push towards the full professionalisation of the game, Kerry Packer’s breakaway competition also fast-tracked countless innovations during its two seasons, in 1977-78 and 1978-79. These included greatly enhanced television coverage, drop-in pitches and coloured clothing, but also night cricket, including floodlit “Super Tests” in the second season, an early forerunner of the match to be played at Adelaide Oval this week.

WSC Super Test statistics

• Barry Richards 5 matches, 554 runs, av 79.14

• Greg Chappell 14 matches, 1415 runs, av 56.60

• Ian Chappell 14 matches, 893 runs, av 35.72

• Len Pascoe 9 matches, 30 wickets, av 32.00

“I think it has got to be recognised, for the quality of cricket it was and for what it has done for cricket,” former Australia captain and WSC batsman Greg Chappell said. “The importance of it in the history of the game [means] it has got to be recognised. It’s a separate entry but it’s got to be there, it can’t be hidden away in the dark.”James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, said the recognition of WSC was well overdue. “World Series Cricket was clearly some of the most competitive, high-performing international cricket ever played,” he said. “Given the quality of the competition, players from that era regarded strong performances in WSC as career highlights.”Such was the impact that WSC had on the game, it has been unjust that records from that competition haven’t been formally recognised. So leading into this first day-night Test where we are thinking about the players who pioneered cricket under lights, we proposed adjusting our own statistical records to include performances from WSC.”Going forward, players from that era will have a standalone line-item in their career statistics recognising their efforts in WSC. Our board has now supported this proposal and we will have discussions with other cricket nations and the ICC in an effort to have them adopt the same position.”The competition, which began as Packer’s attempt to muscle into the world of cricket television rights and then bloomed into something far larger than first imagined, has been depicted in literature (The Cricket War) and on television (Kerry Packer’s War), but had previously been ignored by official records. The new category will not incorporate the matches into Test or first-class statistics, but instead let them stand alone.”I’ve heard people talk about when they’re involved in historical moments they’re not aware of it. I was very aware of it through the whole lot,” Chappell said. “It felt like it was a historical period, it was exciting, it was some of the best cricket I played, albeit on some of the worst cricket grounds i played on in that first year.”But the quality of the cricket and the quality of the commitment on both sides. Kerry had no idea what was coming when he signed up for it, he was hoping to sign the players and then go talk to the board and get an agreement, then all of a sudden he’s got to run a cricket season.”We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but all I knew was it had to happen. Cricket needed this jolt to drag it into the 20th century, and it certainly did that. I think most of what happened during that time was very positive, but it was a very exciting time to be around. The stuff that was going on around the cricket. Prior to that you’d just pick two teams, let’s put them at the MCG and that’s the promotion, whereas all this other stuff was going on around us, it was exciting.”It was an exciting era in Australia, apart from the cricket a lot was going on like the Vietnam War, the Dismissal and so on, all of a sudden people were questioning everything and we were questioning everything. We were a reflection of what was going on in society, not leading the charge. But it was just an amazing period, and we felt like we were doing something that was going to make a difference.”Barry Richards, who faced the first ball bowled under lights from Pascoe in a televised match at Waverley Park in Melbourne, described his thoughts at that moment. They will likely be mirrored when the night session of the Adelaide Test commences after dark on Friday, with the pink ball ushering in a new degree of difficulty for players but also a potentially larger audience for a more accessible game.”For a start the light wasn’t great so it was apprehension,” Richards said. “You don’t know what to expect, you go out there thinking let’s just try to get over the first 20 minutes and see what happens, because it was all quite new. the dusk period wasn’t great. Apprehension and survival were the things going through my mind – even if you do get out, make it look normal.”

England no longer regard themselves as underdogs after the “unacceptable” way Pakistan’s batting collapsed in Abu Dhabi, Pakistan’s coach Waqar Younis has said

Andrew McGlashan19-Oct-2015Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, has called the team’s second-innings batting in Abu Dhabi “unacceptable” after they were left grateful for the arrival of dusk to prevent defeat in a Test where the final day had begun with the first innings incomplete.England declared with a lead of 75 and Pakistan were rocked early by James Anderson, who struck twice in an over, followed by the run out of Mohammad Hafeez. A stand of 66 between Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq had appeared to calm the nerves and confirm the draw, only for Younis to spoon Adil Rashid into the covers and Misbah to charge down the pitch at Moeen Ali and miss his expansive shot.”It’s unacceptable to bat like we did in the second innings,” Waqar said. “It should have been a straightforward draw but we allowed them to threaten us and beat us. We allowed them to come that close, we allowed them to threaten us and run away with the game. We should realise that we are a very good Test side but we committed some silly mistakes, especially in the batting which could have cost us the game.””The way they played, we have to really pull our socks in the second Test. What happened was not on and we have to really improve on that if we want to win the series. We have experience in our batting, we know our batting and know it should have lasted the final day, or the final session but we didn’t and that we have to consider.”I am confident that my side can bounce back but we have to realise that it is all about playing all sessions equally well and if you don’t in one session the opponents come down hard on you as England did.”Waqar knows that Pakistan will be boosted by the return of legspinner Yasir Shah, who missed the opening Test after suffering a back spasm the day before the game, but said that they cannot afford to purely rest on the comeback of their star bowler, even suggesting the favourites tag has shifted in the series.”Fair enough we will get Yasir back but they will be thinking that they can compete. Before the series started it was their own verdict that they were underdogs but now we are the side which have to stage a comeback.”Yasir’s return, at the expense of either Rahat Ali or Imran Khan, will also be welcomed by England according to their coach Trevor Bayliss who said the “ego” of international cricketers meant they wanted to be tested by the best players.”The boys want to be the best team in the world and that means you have got to play the best players and he is the best player,” Bayliss said. “I’m sure these guys would like to test themselves against any of the best players and come out on top.”At this level the egos are right up there, they want to play the best and show the best that they are better than them. They will want to show him they can play him as well as any other these other players.”The lack of specialist spin cover in the original squad to cover for a circumstance like Yasir’s injury has angered Misbah and could lead to more back-up being available this time. Bilal Asif, the offspinner whose action is currently being tested, has been added to the squad for the second Test.

Karnataka kept their slate clean with a win over Jharkhand, while Haryana defeated Rajasthan

Saurabh Somani22-Nov-2019Baroda and Karnataka surged to the top of the Super League groups A and B, winning their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches on Friday. While Baroda held off Delhi by a solitary run, Karnataka beat Jharkhand by 13 runs in a game they looked like they would win at a canter at one stage. The victories gave them both eight points each from two matches.Rajasthan and Jharkhand, who have both had a close defeat each in high-scoring games, now find themselves with two defeats in as many Super League games, making a spot in the semi-finals difficult.Like on Thursday, there were IPL scouts from at least four franchises in attendance for the matches, making performances in the Super League particularly crucial given the IPL auction that is scheduled for December 19.Baroda v Delhi
A combined effort by the Delhi bowlers kept Baroda to 151 for 6. However, Delhi’s chase stuttered and finished on 150 for 9. Babashafi Pathan, the right-arm medium-pacer, took 3 for 24 for Baroda, while Kunwar Bidhuri fought a lone battle for Delhi.Bhiduri, handed a game due to Shikhar Dhawan’s injury, had a sparkling T20 debut, hitting 68 off 51 balls at the top of the order. However, he lacked support from the rest of the Delhi batsmen. He was ninth out at the start of the 20th over. Delhi needed 19 to win from the remaining five balls and though Suboth Bhati swung his bat during an unbeaten 20 off 8 balls, Delhi could make only 17 runs.Baroda didn’t have any batsman making a standout innings, though Aditya Waghmode continued his good form, top-scoring with 36 off 31 while opening. Only Deepak Hooda (26 off 19) among the other batsmen crossed 20, though useful contributions right through meant Baroda got to a competitive – and eventually winning – total.Tamil Nadu v Mumbai
Tamil Nadu put behind a comprehensive defeat to Karnataka to hand the other tournament favourites – Mumbai – a resounding loss, by seven wickets with 6.1 overs to spare. Left-arm spinner Shams Mulani had a remarkable day, but the rest of the Mumbai team crumbled.Tamil Nadu’s bowlers ensured Mumbai could get only 121 for 9, despite Mulani hitting 73 off 52 after being promoted to No. 4. R Sai Kishore continued his good run with figures of 3 for 18 in four overs, while M Siddharth took 4 for 16. Prithvi Shaw made 30 off 19 at the top of the order, but no other Mumbai player got into double-figures.Tamil Nadu sent in Shahrukh Khan to partner Hari Nishanth at the top of the order, and the duo gave the team a rapid start. Shahrukh fell in the fourth over, bowled by Mulani, with B Aparajith following him back two balls later. However, Nishanth, who didn’t have a good outing against Karnataka, came to the fore in style, smashing 73* off 44 balls.Mulani took all three wickets to fall – Dinesh Karthik being the third – to complete a fabulous all-round day with figures of 3 for 26 in four overs, but Vijay Shankar ensured he stayed alongside Nishanth as victory was raised in just 13.5 overs.Karnataka v Jharkhand
Put in to bat, Karnataka rocketed off the blocks, before losing their way in the second half of their innings. Their fantastic start nonetheless ensured a sizeable 189 for 6 on the board, and though Jharkhand fought gamely, the required rate was always a touch above what they looked like achieving, eventually finishing on 176 for 5.Karnataka’s start was driven by Devdutt Padikkal – in many ways the batsman of the tournament so far – who raced to 63 off 30 balls in an opening stand that brought 114 in 9.3 overs. His opening partner KL Rahul was more sedate in comparison, while Manish Pandey came in and picked up where Padikkal had left off. However, both men fell shortly thereafter, though at 130 for 3 in 11 overs, Karnataka were still looking at a total well in excess of 200. However, with their three main batsmen gone, the rest of the line-up struggled and could only score at around a run a ball thereon. Left-arm spinner Sonu Singh did most of the damage, with 3 for 28 in four overs. He took out both Rahul and Pandey, and added the wicket of Karun Nair too.Jharkhand’s reply was driven by Virat Singh’s 76* off 44 from No.3, but the batsmen around him couldn’t keep up with the required rate. They needed 87 runs in the last six overs, which is when Virat and Sumit Kumar (23 off 16) cut loose, but though they scored at more than two runs per ball, the eventual target proved too steep.Haryana v Rajasthan
Tight bowling by Haryana gave them a four-wicket victory over Rajasthan with 4.4 overs remaining, with Harshal Patel putting in an all-round show once again.Harshal, who has been opening the batting in this tournament, first took 1 for 19 in his four overs as Rajasthan were restricted to 123 for 8. Ankit Lamba top-scored with 38, but took 41 balls, and only Chandrapal Singh (25* off 14) crossed 20 among other batsmen. Rahul Tewatia, recently traded from Delhi Capitals to Rajasthan Royals, was the most successful bowler, with 3 for 18 in four overs.Interestingly, Haryana opened with two leggies in Yuzvendra Chahal and Amit Mishra, while Tewatia – another leggie – was the first change bowler.Harshal led Haryana’s reply, smacking 41 off 25 at the top of the order to be the highest score of the match. Haryana didn’t have too many others contributing, but given the small target, they didn’t need to.

Rested seamer reflects on Test success in Pakistan, Ben Stokes’ captaincy and ball to Mohammad Rizwan

Vithushan Ehantharajah16-Dec-2022At 40 years of age and with 177 caps, missing Test matches is not something James Anderson has time for. Yet as he sits in Karachi’s Movenpick hotel on Friday, a day out from the third and final Test against Pakistan, he is at peace with the fact he is sitting this one out.The series is won, with only the scoreline left to sort. Anderson’s eight wickets at 18.50 have ticked off a ninth frontier in the format, 17 years after he accompanied England on their last tour to the region without getting on the park (for the Tests). The career dismissals were 35 then, 675 now as Anderson’s 20th year as an international comes to an end. Nevertheless, his rest has been well-earned.”It’s been brilliant from start to finish really,” Anderson says. “I think we’ve just really gone about things the right way, we’ve worked really hard concentrating on the right things. We wanted to keep that same mentality we had in the summer, the same style of cricket.”We knew it was going to be slightly different out here. Just from one to 11 it’s been outstanding. Everyone’s chipped in, whether it’s with runs or wickets in the field, and we deserve to be two-nil up.”Related

• Rehan Ahmed to make Test debut in Karachi

• How many batting records have England broken in Pakistan?

• Ollie Robinson 'considered retirement' in midst of injury-plagued English summer

That Anderson “completely understands” the reasons for being rested is as much personal contentment as it is the environment he is in. He felt he could have played, and said as much to Ben Stokes. The captain, however, was thinking further ahead. “It’s only four or five weeks before we go to New Zealand,” says Anderson of the two-Test series in February. “It’s not a huge amount of time.”What the break does do is give Anderson scope to assess how the last couple of weeks have been on a personal level. It speaks volumes that he regards the job done here as the most satisfying of his career.”I feel proud of the work I’ve put in over here: forty overs [46] in the first Test, 22 I think on the last day of the game. That’s as good as I’ve bowled and as important a role as I’ve played in any team, I think, especially in these conditions.”And I think to be honest, we all feel like that as bowlers. The seamers have put in a lot of work to try and get something out of the wickets.”We’ve managed to find some reverse swing which helps. But I think generally we have just thought outside the box with fields as well. Just trying everything we can to get 20 wickets and thankfully we’ve managed to do it in both games.”More specifically, there is pride at the delivery in Multan that did for Mohammed Rizwan: moving in with that reverse, then nipping away and clipping the top of off stump. The video of that dismissal is still doing laps on social media. Many used it as an excuse to trawl through Anderson’s archives to compare it to other pearlers. The man himself is certain it is one of the best deliveries to have left his hand.”I think it probably is up there, just because of where I’ve done it. I’ve bowled similar deliveries in England where you get that seam movement. And it happens more regularly than it does in Pakistan.”So to get that little bit of reverse swing in and it definitely hit a crack, but it looks great on telly. For me it’s right up there with one of the best balls I’ve bowled.””I guess that’s part of the skill out here when you know certainly towards the back end of the game the wicket might break up. The wicket out here looks exactly the same – there are going to be cracks there as the game goes on and it deteriorates. And the skill for the bowlers then is to hit it as often as you possibly can. [It’s] not always that easy just to land it on it. That’s the thing: you’ve got to bowl it with some decent heat on, you can’t just put it there or bowl within yourself. You’ve got to mean every ball. It can take its toll, but it’s really satisfying when you get those rewards.”In many ways, it is remarkable Anderson finishes 2022 with 36 wickets at an average of 19.80, the first time the latter has been under 20 in a calendar year since 2017. The spillover of the Ashes and the end of Chris Silverwood’s tenure as head coach was such that Anderson and Stuart Broad were omitted from the tour of the Caribbean, which was Joe Root’s last engagement as Test captain.But it is clear Anderson is enjoying a new lease of life under his eighth full-time Test captain. He is currently the leading wicket-taker under Stokes, a statistic which has a very clear correlation to the manner in which the captain and new head coach, Brendon McCullum, are approaching things on the field.The batting may grab the headlines, but the bowling has been a model of consistency through relentless pressure, administered through attacking fields with accompanying lines and lengths. England have taken 10 wickets in all 17 innings so far under Stokes and McCullum through this approach, something which aligns with Anderson’s own theories while also opening his eyes to doing this a different way.”I love thinking about the game, thinking about plans, and Ben is that sort of captain. All he thinks about is taking wickets. He’s not bothered about trying to dry the run rate up or control the game. He wants to take wickets. You see that with the fields he sets. That then rubs off on you as a bowler.Ben Stokes and Anderson plot their tactics•AFP/Getty Images

“I can’t remember the amount of times I would have bowled in previous years with a leg slip. I had one quite a lot throughout the summer, had one quite a lot in this series. Funnily enough, that Rizwan wicket, I did have a leg slip in at the time and Rooty thinks maybe that position made him stay slightly leg side of the ball. Those little things can actually make a big difference.”When we were successful in 2010, it was a run-rate thing, control the rate, and it worked for that group of players. We did that again in ’17, ’18, ’19, it didn’t quite work for us. This seems to be working for this group of bowlers, and we’ve got a nice mix of bowlers, especially with Woody [Mark Wood] coming back in. So I’ve found it refreshing thinking differently, even though I’ve played a lot of games.”As long as you’re getting hit in the right areas, they don’t care if you go for the odd four, trying to go a bit fuller, so that gives you confidence to bowl, knowing that you don’t have to fret about how many runs you’re going for, or whether you’ve been hit twice down the ground. If that’s the way you’re trying to get people out, with catchers in front of the wicket as they have been out here, then they’re completely fine with it.”As for where things go from here, the spectre of Australia and a home Ashes looms large. Given the constant calls from within the group to play more engaging, more entertaining cricket and push past the previous achievements, predicting where this side will be by next summer is anyone’s guess. “I’m sure over the coming months the messages will be the same,” Anderson says. “With the talent we have got, we should just keep getting better so that by the time the Ashes does come around, we’ll be in a good place.”Given how accustomed he is with Australia ahead of what will be his 10th series against them, there is maybe no better person to ask. Does he think Australia will be intimidated of this free-wheeling juggernaut fuelled by vibes and a relentless approach to positive results?”It’s an interesting one,” he muses. “I texted Tim Southee the other day to congratulate him on the NZ captaincy and he was like ‘I’m not sure I can keep up with you guys’.”Maybe the Aussies might be more brash than him but there might be something deep down, where they’re not sure how they’re going to approach it against us. Having played against them a lot, I’m sure they’ll try to come back just as hard as they can. It seems a long way away at the minute, but hopefully we can keep enjoying ourselves and keep playing the way we are because it’s a lot of fun to be a part of.”

England go into the fifth day needing another miracle to sustain their hopes of winning back the Ashes

George Dobell in Manchester07-Sep-2019Trevor Bayliss has called on England’s batsmen to “put their hand up and be the hero” on the final day of the Manchester Test.England go into the fifth day requiring a miracle – another miracle – to sustain their hopes of winning back the Ashes. Set an improbable 383 to win in the final innings – their more realistic target is to bat out the final 98 overs on the last day – they lost two wickets within the first four balls of their reply.While they scraped through to stumps without further loss, the fact that Joe Root and Rory Burns were the men to go will do nothing to increase optimism in England’s chances of survival. Root, who was bowled first ball by a perfect delivery from Pat Cummins, has become the first England captain to register three ducks in a series. If Australia win the game, they will take retain the Ashes whatever happens in the final Test at The Oval.But Bayliss, the England coach, insisted his team could bat out the final day to claim the draw that would sustain their hopes.”It’ll take a couple of our guys to make good hundreds but as we saw in the last Test, anything is possible,” Bayliss sad. “It’s a big challenge, but we’ve got two guys out there who are very good players. We’ve certainly got some players in the sheds who can make hundreds.”I think we can do it. We’ve had a chat in the changing room and we’re certainly not thinking it’s all over. There’s no use playing at this level if you don’t believe you are good enough to bat for 98 overs and save the game.”Also read: Smith transcendent as Cummins puts one hand on the AshesWhile Bayliss could, realistically, hardly say anything else, England’s slim hopes have some substance while Ben Stokes remains. He has already pulled off two near miracles this summer – the World Cup final and the Leeds Test – and is England’s leading run-scorer in the series. England’s supporters will hope he can snare a hat-trick of miracles on the final day.Ben Stokes pulls through the leg side•Getty Images & PA Images

The form of the other remaining batsmen provides less reason for optimism, however. Jason Roy is averaging 12.42 this series, Joe Denly 23.00, Jos Buttler 13.71 and Jonny Bairstow 25.50. But Bayliss hopes Stokes’ success can inspire them with greater belief.”Stokes’ record probably gives the rest of the guys belief,” Bayliss said. “If one guy can do it someone else can do it as well. We’ve already spoken about who is going to put their hand up and be the hero. We know it is going to be hard work, but we’re going out there with the aim to do that.”While Bayliss leaves his role as coach straight after The Oval Test, he does have advice for English cricket: ensure home advantage by preparing pitches that suit their side. England were underwhelmed when they arrived in Manchester to find a slow track with very little grass covering. As a result, there was relatively little help for England seamers – who are, with the exception of Jofra Archer – slower than the Australian trio – and they could find no answer to the excellence of Steve Smith. He also had words of mitigation for England’s seamers, who struggled in trying conditions on the first day.”I’d have liked to have seen a bit more green grass on all of the [Test] wickets this year,” Bayliss said. “We certainly had that in the Ashes here four years ago – except for the one where Australia won at Lord’s. And we won the series.”What’s got to happen in England is that we either play on Test wickets that have some green grass on, like in county cricket, or we play county cricket on flatter wickets with not a lot of grass on so we actually learn how to bat and bowl on flatter wickets.”Why did England’s bowlers not manage the same intensity in the first innings? It was probably the 300mph wind and the minus 10 degree temperature. They were probably the toughest conditions I’ve ever seen cricket played in. That will take a fair bit out of you, those conditions. The wind was very, very difficult.”

The rest of the squad that secured New Zealand’s first series win over Pakistan away from home in 49 years was retained

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2018The offspinner William Somerville, who played a starring role on debut as New Zealand beat Pakistan last week, has not been included to play the upcoming home Test series against Sri Lanka. The 13-man squad that was announced on Monday had only one slow bowler in it – Ajaz Patel, who claimed a five-wicket haul in a dramatic four-run victory in Abu Dhabi last month.Meanwhile, 26-year old opening batsman Will Young earned his maiden-call up to international cricket. He was told of the development soon after scoring a century in a one-day game for New Zealand A against India A in Mount Maunganui.”Came off the field after a loss, which was a big disappointment,” Young said. “But [selector] Gavin Larsen just asked me, pulled me aside and said I made the Test squad, the 13-man Test squad. Look, I’m over the moon. It’s a dream come true to be part of the Test squad. But yeah, nothing changes. Keep enjoying my cricket. Keep batting and hopefully the chance comes in the near future.”Heading out to the UAE, I just wanted to do as well as I possibly could. I’ve had a couple of A chances before before and didn’t go to plan so I knew it was do or die. Managed to put some performances together and thankfully the selectors have taken note of that. It’s really nice to get the reward at the end of it.”Young has played 66 first-class matches for Central Districts and scored 4221 runs at an average of 41, including six centuries and 27 fifties. He was part of the A squad that went on tour to the UAE in October and has been in a rich vein of form over recent weeks. He was the only New Zealand A batsman to score a century on the UAE tour, one of the three hundreds in his last ten innings across one- and four-day cricket.Back-up wicketkeeper Tom Blundell was also left out of the touring party that secured New Zealand’s first series win over Pakistan away from home in 49 years.The selectors, however, kept their faith in Tom Latham, who managed 99 runs in his last six Test innings, and Matt Henry, who played one match against Pakistan, despite being picked in the ODI and Test squads. While Latham will likely retain his place at the top of the order, Henry will face stiff competition again to break into a bowling attack that already includes Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner.New Zealand will play Sri Lanka in two Tests, three ODIs and a T20I, starting from December 15.”There’s a real swell of support for the Test team following their efforts in the UAE, so we’re hoping to transition that momentum into a big home summer,” Larsen said.”Ajaz certainly grabbed his opportunity on the UAE tour and he’s a proven performer in New Zealand conditions.”Will Somerville was an obvious stand-out on debut in the Abu Dhabi decider and it’s great to know we’ve got quality spin bowlers who can create competition for places.”The first international of the home summer is always an exciting time and the revamped Basin Reserve should be a fitting setting to launch the Sri Lankan tour.”New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Tom Latham, Jeet Raval, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, BJ Watling (wk), Will Young, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner

In 2018, the number of “club and community” players in Australia has shrunk for the second year in a row, slipping from a peak of 454,657 in 2016 to 444,570 in 2017 and now 432,609

Daniel Brettig06-Sep-2018In the world of finance, “recession” has a simple definition: two consecutive quarters of negative growth. Cricket in Australia now faces an equivalent recession, according to the latest edition of CA’s annual census conducted each year since 2000.

CA census reports on club cricket figures

2012: “313,536 people participated in club cricket in 2011-12 across 570 associations and 3,820 clubs. 2,359 coaches and 257 umpires administered the game in 2011-12.”
2013: “After a small dip last year, club cricket rebounded with a growth of almost two per cent (1.7%), with 318,830 participants across 577 associations and 3,737 clubs.”
2014: “An eight per cent increase in traditional club cricket, bringing total participation up to 337,000 across Australia’s 477 cricket associations and 3,995 clubs. This is the biggest single year percentage growth in this segment for over five years.”
2015: “Traditional 11-a-side club cricket accounted for 344,053 participants across 23,000 teams, including 90 new female 11-a-side teams. It is the third consecutive year that traditional club cricket participation has increased. 415,104 club & community participants.”
2016: “Club and community participation jumped 9.5 per cent to 454,657 in the past 12 months.”
2017: “444,570 club and community players”
2018: “432,609 club and community players”

While the census has always been accompanied by glowing “participation” numbers, growing every year and once again in 2018 reporting a jump to more than 1.5 million, this figure has long been known to be particularly rubbery, given that according to CA and its census taker Street Ryan it is defined by anyone participating in school programmes or competitions at least four times over a summer. Within that figure, the number of paid-up, registered club cricketers is a far more reliable indicator of the game’s grassroots reach, and herein lies the trouble.In 2018, the number of “club and community” players in Australia has shrunk for the second year in a row, slipping from a peak of 454,657 in 2016 to 444,570 in 2017 and now 432,609. Given the inbuilt tendency of any self-assessed survey to look for gains, this trend may actually be more pronounced than it appears, even as losses from the traditional ranks of male and adult players are offset by growth among female players and juniors. Also notable is the fact that not even these numbers seem truly reliable anymore, as a result of ever widening criteria.Over the most recent seven surveys, club numbers tell something of a swinging tale. In 2012, the figure was 313,536; in 2013 it rose to 318,830, then jumping in 2014 to an even 337,000. Here is where things become more interesting still, as that was the year CA started to recut the numbers by including less formal “community cricket” numbers also – bumping up the 2014 figure to 400,000.For 2015, club figures rose again to 344,053, with the amalgamated figure coming in at a more bountiful 415,104. As if by process of evolution, the distinction had disappeared in figures for 2016, when CA trumpeted a seemingly mighty 454,657 “club and community” players. Therefore, the drop-off in that number in 2017 and this year may actually hide a more marked shrinkage of the number of players actually playing the sort of club cricket that could readily be defined as serious participation.This is not to say that CA is ignoring the aforementioned recession. On the contrary, their version of Keynesian stimulus was announced last week in the form of some A$35 million in directed and strategic funding for community cricket levels. Population growth areas in New South Wales/ACT, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia are to be served by no fewer than 58 new community cricket staffers, nearly A$13 million will be pushed directly towards infrastructure projects, registration fees for junior programmes will be redirected towards funding clubs, further funding will be pushed towards growing competitions for women and girls, and free level one coaching courses have been made available to help volunteers.At the helm of the relevant CA department is the game development chief Belinda Clark, who has long noted the critical importance of the club participation number in assessing the game’s overall health in Australia. When asked about how CA was addressing the gap between rosy overall participation and the rather less promising club numbers, Clark pointed to three methods being tried.Getty Images

“The rollout of new junior formats has been taken up really well in the community,” Clark told ESPNcricinfo recently. “So last year there were 65% of associations that had started to implement those formats and this year we anticipate getting as high as 90% of associations, so step one is to make sure that the game is fun and fast and attractive to kids, so that’s that.”But in terms of making sure the environment’s great, that’s where the free level one community coaching courses come into play, making sure the kids – once they arrive at the club – have got good coaches and great experiences. The third bit is providing additional resources – by sharing the revenue from Cricket Blast registration it provides clubs with a revenue stream that previously wasn’t there in order to make sure there’s opportunities to continue to play.”Clark’s efforts are being given further urgency by the fact that more independently gleaned numbers are also slipping downwards. In 2016 the then Australian Sports Commission – now Sports Australia – released AusPlay, a national survey of sporting participation that immediately installed cricket as a mid-table dweller, with 562,669 registered participants. That ranked the game sixth among the top 10, well behind soccer, golf, AFL, netball and tennis.In the most recent AusPlay survey, conducted last year and released in April 2018, cricket had slid to 545,704 participants, and found itself seventh in the top 10, now also behind basketball. Of course there is a difference between registered club players, participants and followers, an area in which CA can still point to plenty of success. The figure denoting the game’s estimated following more loudly than any other is the A$1.18 billion paid by News Corporation and Seven for broadcast rights, more than any sport other than the winter staples of AFL and NRL could dream about.To that end, the triumphal note struck by the chief executive James Sutherland in his final census before departing the job was not entirely off the mark. “We are thrilled to see the number of Australians playing cricket continue to grow year-on-year. To have more than 1.5 million Australians participating in cricket last season is a fantastic result, highlighting the passion Australians have for cricket,” Sutherland said. “We are pleased with the uptake of young children experiencing cricket through programmes specifically designed for schools.”More than 850,000 young Australians participated in these programmes in 2017-18 – these entry level numbers are outstanding, and we hope the programmes help instill a love of the game that will see them continue to play and enjoy their cricket. We are working hard with the community to ensure this interest and enthusiasm is transferred to regular playing opportunities.”We have more women and girls playing cricket than ever before, and The Growing Cricket for Girls Fund has been an overwhelming success and a programme we will continue to invest heavily in. We are particularly pleased with 619 new junior girl’s teams creating opportunities for the next Meg Lanning or Ellyse Perry to learn the game.”All that said, the participation recession in club land will have more serious consequences if allowed to continue. Just ask the ECB.

Stand-in captain says she will grow as leader and batsman ahead of must-win fixture for India

Annesha Ghosh in Guwahati06-Mar-20192:53

Our main focus is for the team to be ranked No. 1 – Mandhana

Smriti Mandhana, India’s stand-in T20I captain, says her initiation to leading the side with a thumping loss against England in the first match may help her perform better as a leader and batsman in the second, must-win fixture for India in the three-match series, on Thursday.”It was a really tough game to go out there, and first game as a captain you are really nervous and excited,” Mandhana said of India’s 41-run loss against England in the series opener in Guwahati. “But things did not go the way as I expected it to be. I have to accept that I was a bit nervous.”Definitely, before the second match, now that I have made my captaincy debut, I wouldn’t be nervous and I will be proactive in captaincy and in batting, [I] will be able to give a good start to India.”Mandhana’s 8-ball 2 on Monday was part of a lacklustre performance from India’s batting line-up, whose chronic infirmity in the 20-over format has worsened around relying on her and No. 3 batsman Jemimah Rodrigues for steady starts and, most of the time, squandering that.Most tellingly, the over-reliance came to the fore during India’s 3-0 whitewash in New Zealand, where designated T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who is out of the current series with an ankle injury, also had a lean patch as a middle-order batsman.Mandhana said the focus during an open-wickets session at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Tuesday and a nets session on Wednesday had been on addressing the T20I side’s biggest concern: “get the batting order right and avoid collapse”.On Monday, Mandhana had squarely pinned the blame for India’s defeat on herself, Mithali Raj and Rodrigues, who make up India’s top four, with allrounder Harleen Deol having made her T20I debut in the series opener.”As a batter who is settled, our top four, we are playing for a long time now,” Mandhana had said after the loss. “I, Mithali, Jemi have to take more responsibility, and bat more and take the team through [the finish line]. We have to give a bit of cushion to the youngsters.”On the eve of the second game in the three-match series, Mandhana’s assessment differed little. She did, however, take hope from the lower-middle order’s rearguard, which involved Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy and Shikha Pandey contributing a combined 63 runs in India’s total of 119.”The batting order,” Mandhana said, “even in New Zealand, we didn’t capitalise [on] the good start. The last match we didn’t get a good start. But one positive is how Shikha [Pandey], Aru and Deepti played at the end. That was the big positive for us.”Shikha Pandey celebrates a wicket•Associated Press

Pandey, the leader of India’s pace attack, was also the most economical of the five bowlers used by Mandhana, who was satisfied with the quality of fast bowlers coming into the side, despite left-arm seamer Komal Zanzad not being handed an international debut in the first T20I after running through the England line-up with a blistering three-for as part of the Board President’s XI two weeks ago.”We have really good pace bowlers coming in,” Mandhana said. “Of course, you won’t get someone like Jhulan [Goswami] because she has so much experience. It is wrong to expect a pace bowler coming in to deliver the same as what Jhulu di does for us because she is one of a kind.”I played the Board President XI’s match as well. Even I used to feel that. But seeing the pace bowlers [in that game], I think they did a brilliant job. We got almost four or five wickets in the first 10 overs. And those were all pacers. So I don’t think there is lack of depth. Only that we have to give them enough chances to be a match-winner for India.”Mandhana’s view of the fast-bowling talent on the domestic circuit comes two days after 36-year-old Goswami, the senior-most bowler in the Indian contingent, reclaimed the No. 1 ODI spot on the back of her eight wickets in the preceding series in Mumbai, which India won 2-1.”That is the position where she deserves to be,” Mandhana, the top-ranked batsman in the 50-over format, said of Goswami, while also commending Mithali Raj (No. 4 on the batsmen’s rankings), Pandey and Poonam Yadav (ranked fifth and tenth on the bowlers’ rankings respectively) for figuring in the top 10 from the second-placed Indian side.”It’s an exciting thing,” Mandhana said. “But now our goal is to get the team to the No. 1 ranking. Individuals being up there on No. 1… but it’d be much better if the team is at No. 1 on the ICC rankings.”While Tammy Beaumont, England’s Player of the Match in the first T20I, said after the game losing the toss may have worked in the tourists’ favour, Mandhana defended her decision to chase.”Definitely not [a wrong decision to field first],” Mandhana said. “I think the wicket was really good to bat on. It didn’t change at all. If the wicket changed in the second innings, then we would think that the decision was wrong. But the wicket remained the same.”Only in bowling we thought we gave 10-15 runs extra. One-sixty was quite chaseable, but none of our top-order batters got any start. I think if anyone would’ve batted until the 15th over, it would have been a different game.”